Sales results: Inflating and misrepresenting in CRMs

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The information we give to our managers, financial team and what we input into our CRMs or other account tracking systems, needs to be most accurate to the best of our ability. Mispresenting, inflating, or under reporting is simply not acceptable.

- Early in my sales career, I had a big potential order.…For illustrative purposes, let's say it was $100,000.…I was really excited about it,…as were people in other departments too.…I was asked for regular updates,…and there was a keen interest in this sale.…When the order came in, I was so happy,…yet I sensed some disappointment from others…since because of a budget issue,…my buyer had to cut the order by 10%.…It was still an amazing order,…but not what I had initially projected.…

Later on, a few veteran salespeople pulled me aside…and gave me the advice of never giving the real projection…of what I think a sale could be.…I should always be conservative and hold some dollars back.…This is a clear example of what every salesperson knows…and that's a forecast that's not really a forecast.…For years, salespeople kept their numbers,…their account information, and important feedback guarded…so closely like it was top secret information.…

We've obviously briefed our managers,…but we passed it along to others only a need-to-know basis.…

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Released

8/2/2017

Regardless of your profession, the subject of ethics is an important one to review. That said, it's particularly critical for sales professionals, who are in contact with many different people and exposed to a variety of business settings. In this course, explore examples of tricky situations that salespeople often encounter, and learn how to behave ethically while dealing with the pressure to deliver results. Sales coach Dean Karrel explores ethical business practices for dealing with expense accounts, working offsite, giving and accepting gifts, hiring and firing, and more.